By; Kevin Pichinte
Working a job as a high school student is fun but challenging
sometimes. Keeping balance of the both things takes some responsibility because
you have to manage to be at work at the time you have to be there and still
have the energy to go to school and manage getting good grades. But sometimes I
struggle with both things because it’s pretty hard to maintain good grades and
getting to work and getting out late and being tired the next day. But the pay
is pretty good for a high school student making fourteen dollars an hour four
times a week for five hours a day is pretty awesome. But what about for the
people who have to pay monthly bills and have a family to maintain and make
days end meet. Doing the math this really isn’t anything a month. The typical
person would have to have more than one job.
The reason why I work is to help out and just to have some spare money in my
pocket. But for me being a youngster this is plenty of money. But after reading
“nickel and dime” my opinion really changed on how these really isn’t anything.
Over the summer working just four days a week for four weeks a month I make
enough to supply all my needs. But seeing all the expenses that my family has
and what we have to pay monthly really is garbage. Just with paying monthly
rent I would practically be left with nothing. I see why people really struggle
when they make minimum wage because in reality they have so many expenses and
sometimes the amount of money they make just isn’t enough even though they are
working two to three jobs.
And going to the laundry
at least once a week and spending thirty dollars every time means you’re
spending at least one hundred and twenty dollars a month in pure laundry. Then
comes all of your personal needs like cell phones, gel, shampoo, clothes etc.
With this you really end up with nothing a month. For a cell phone these days
the minimum that you’re at least paying is around fifty dollars. Then in
clothes you spend at least one hundred dollars and that’s if you don’t have a
family to supply.
And
what about with groceries. The minimum the typical person would pay a month
would be around one hundred twenty dollars just for food. And if you get sick
how expensive is it to go see the doctor every time or just to go to the pharmacy
and buy some medicine. Just to get over the counter medicine can range from two
dollars to twenty dollars and that’s not even talking about your prescribed
medicine and having to make co payments every time. In reality with all of
these expenses id rather stay in school because I would have too many expenses
and not be able to support myself. I would be spending more money than what I
would be making.
My point is that I would not be able to pay my monthly bills. I would
spend all my money and still need to pay more bills and not have enough to pay
them. Which in the long run this would lead to being poor and on the streets.
So the money I make is awesome for a teen but if I were an adult like Barbara Ehrenrich in
nickel and dime I would be in low poverty or even be poor. So no, what I make
would never be enough and I would be a bum on the street or I would have to work at least three jobs just to make end days meet.
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